A control device performs steering control of a vehicle by electric power of a first battery and a second battery and includes a calculation unit that calculates a total torque to be produced and a distribution controller that controls output of the first motor and the second motor such that a sum of a first torque produced by the first motor and a second torque produced by the second motor is the total torque. When neither the first system nor the second system is defective, the distribution controller sets the first torque and the second torque based on a state of the first battery and a state of the second battery such that predetermined performance of the first battery and the second battery is within an allowable range.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A control device that is connected to a first system and a second system, the first system including a first battery, a first battery monitoring unit that monitors a state of the first battery, and a first motor that produces torque for steering by electric power of the first battery, the second system including a second battery, a second battery monitoring unit that monitors a state of the second battery, and a second motor that produces torque for steering by electric power of the second battery, the control device being configured to perform steering control of a vehicle by the electric power of the first battery and the electric power of the second battery, the control device comprising: a calculation unit configured to calculate a total torque to be produced; and a distribution controller configured to control output of the first motor and the second motor such that a sum of a first torque produced by the first motor and a second torque produced by the second motor is the total torque, wherein the distribution controller is configured to when the first system is defective, cause the second motor to produce the total torque, when the second system is defective, cause the first motor to produce the total torque, and when neither the first system nor the second system is defective, acquire first information indicating the state of the first battery from the first battery monitoring unit, acquire second information indicating the state of the second battery from the second battery monitoring unit, set the first torque and the second torque based on the first information and the second information such that predetermined performance of the first battery and the second battery is within an allowable range, cause the first motor to produce the first torque, and cause the second motor to produce the second torque.
2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control device includes a first controller included in the first system; and a second controller included in the second system, wherein: the calculation unit includes a first calculation unit provided in the first controller and configured to calculate the total torque by the electric power of the first battery, and a second calculation unit provided in the second controller and configured to calculate the total torque by the electric power of the second battery; the distribution controller includes a first distribution controller provided in the first controller and configured to control the output of the first motor by the electric power of the first battery, and a second distribution controller provided in the second controller and configured to control the output of the second motor by the electric power of the second battery; when the first system is defective, the second distribution controller is configured to cause the second motor to produce the total torque calculated by the second calculation unit; when the second system is defective, the first distribution controller is configured to cause the first motor to produce the total torque calculated by the first calculation unit; and when neither the first system nor the second system is defective, both the first distribution controller and the second distribution controller acquire both of the first information and the second information, the first distribution controller is configured to set the first torque based on the first information and the second information and cause the first motor to produce the first torque, and the second distribution controller is configured to set the second torque based on the first information and the second information and cause the second motor to produce the second torque.
3. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein: the first information includes information indicating at least one of a temperature, a charging amount and a voltage of the first battery; and the second information includes information indicating at least one of a temperature, a charging amount and a voltage of the second battery.
4. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein the distribution controller is configured to, when neither the first system nor the second system is defective, specify a battery having a higher predetermined performance among the first battery and the second battery based on the first information and the second information, and, among the first motor and the second motor, cause one motor, which produces torque by electric power of the specified battery, to produce the torque larger than that of the other motor.
5. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the distribution controller is configured to determine that the first system is defective when a power supply from the first battery to the control device is stopped, and determine that the second system is defective when a power supply from the second battery to the control device is stopped.
6. A control method that is executed by a control device connected to a first system and a second system, the first system including a first battery, a first battery monitoring unit that monitors a state of the first battery, and a first motor that produces torque for steering by electric power of the first battery, the second system including a second battery, a second battery monitoring unit that monitors a state of the second battery, and a second motor that produces torque for steering by electric power of the second battery, the control device being configured to perform steering control of a vehicle by the electric power of the first battery and the electric power of the second battery, the control method comprising: calculating a total torque to be produced; and controlling output distribution of the first motor and the second motor such that a sum of a first torque produced by the first motor and a second torque produced by the second motor is the total torque, wherein the controlling of the output distribution includes when the first system is defective, causing the second motor to produce the total torque, when the second system is defective, causing the first motor to produce the total torque, and when neither the first system nor the second system is defective, acquiring first information indicating the state of the first battery from the first battery monitoring unit, acquiring second information indicating the state of the second battery from the second battery monitoring unit, setting the first torque and the second torque based on the first information and the second information such that predetermined performance of the first battery and the second battery is within an allowable range, causing the first motor to produce the first torque, and causing the second motor to produce the second torque.
7. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a control program that causes a computer of a control device to execute a process, the control device being connected to a first system and a second system, the first system including a first battery, a first battery monitoring unit that monitors a state of the first battery, and a first motor that produces torque for steering by electric power of the first battery, the second system including a second battery, a second battery monitoring unit that monitors a state of the second battery, and a second motor that produces torque for steering by electric power of the second battery, the control device being configured to perform steering control of a vehicle by the electric power of the first battery and the electric power of the second battery, the process comprising: calculating a total torque to be produced; and controlling output distribution of the first motor and the second motor such that a sum of a first torque produced by the first motor and a second torque produced by the second motor is the total torque, wherein the controlling of the output distribution includes when the first system is defective, causing the second motor to produce the total torque, when the second system is defective, causing the first motor to produce the total torque, and when neither the first system nor the second system is defective, acquiring first information indicating the state of the first battery from the first battery monitoring unit, acquiring second information indicating the state of the second battery from the second battery monitoring unit, setting the first torque and the second torque based on the first information and the second information such that predetermined performance of the first battery and the second battery is within an allowable range, causing the first motor to produce the first torque, and causing the second motor to produce the second torque.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
May 29, 2019
December 21, 2021
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